The clock has already started ticking on the best season of the year...and these awesome ideas will help you optimize each minute.

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Summer is kind of like the ultimate
one-night stand: hot as hell, totally
thrilling, and gone before you know
it. To squeeze more satisfaction out of
the season, we culled a slew of tips on
how to milk these glorious months. Follow our suggestions
and come Labor Day, you'll
have a tough time wiping that goofy
afterglow grin off your face.

Unstick Your Stems

It's gross, but a fact of life for those
of us who aren't supermodel size:
Your bare thighs chafe or stick
when they rub together under
a skirt. Stop it with a cure runners
swear by: Bodyglide (find it atdrugstore.com). It lubricates skin
but isn't greasy and won't stain
clothes like petroleum jelly does.
The formula with SPF is ideal if the
area is sunburned — just use this
version sparingly near light threads.

Salvage Exploded
Makeup

So you left your makeup bag in your
sun-drenched car, and now it
looks like the set of Saw V. Rescue
the remainder of your lip color
by scooping it into a small plastic
pot with a screw top or even a
pill case, then apply with a lip brush.

Stay Cool on Your Commute

Put a plastic bottle
of water in the freezer
at night, then
pop it in your bag
on your way out the
door to work. When
you get into your
sweltering car,
crack the windows
slightly so hot air
can escape out the
top, and turn on the
AC. Sip from your
melting water bottle
while you drive. Ahh.

Wine-blending parties are
a hot new trend, says Don
Sritong, corporate sommelier
at Chicago wine shop
and bar Just Grapes. Split
a home blending kit with
pals ($120 at justgrapes.net) and you get five bottles
of different varietals plus
one mystery blend, tools to
measure portions, and
instructions on how to make
the perfect pour to your
liking. It even includes recipes
for how to craft a glass
of prohibitively pricey types.

Let the suckers get busted for
coming down with the "rare Asian
beetle flu on Thursday night."
You can bail with a better ploy: On a
midweek day when you have a light
workload, casually mention to your
boss and coworkers when you arrive
that you've been unable to kick a
queasy feeling or headache since
you woke up. Then around 11, send
a "going home sick" e-mail along
with where you can be reached
by phone just in case they need you.

Eat an Ice Cream Cone Mess-Free

To lick a scoop without looking like a loser, first tackle the edge between the cone and the ice cream itself, not the top, says Ray Karam, cold Stone Creamery's tastemaster. Even out the cone by licking each side equally in an upward motion toward the top. It's okay to use a spoon or even put on a performance with it in front of a hot dude.

Wave-Proof Your Bikini

Double knot the strings where you tie
your suit, and secure with a safety
pin. If you lose it to the tide, bend at
the waist to hide your boobs, then grab
your bottoms to save your V zone.

Keep Your
Beach Read
from Bleeding

Ever notice how the ink
from your favorite magazine
(Cosmo, of course!) ends
up all over your slickly SPFed
skin? The fix: Bring small
bottles of hand sanitizer and
baby powder to the beach.
After applying your sunscreen,
clean up with the
gel, then sprinkle the powder
liberally on your palms,
thighs, and stomach (and
anywhere else you rest the
magazine as you read).

Get Group Dating Going

You already socialize in packs, so why not use the Web to cast your
net wider? Organize a group date at, say, an outdoor happy hour
with your pals and a crew of hotties you meet online. Sites likeMatch.com and Nerve.com cater to coordinating this modern
blind date. It helps you control turnout better than with other mixers.

Dress Your Bed as Cooly as Your Bod

Fake the getaway vibe by dressing
your bed like a fancy hotel would.
Using 100 percent cotton or linen
sheets, layer with a cotton
blanket, and top that with a flat
sheet, advises Colin Cowie, author
of Colin Cowie Chic. Keep a thin
wool blanket at the foot of the bed
in case the AC surges overnight.

Hook Up in a Hammock

It takes a little dexterity to have
nooky in a net. Up for the challenge?
We thought so! Lie facedown across
the width of the hammock, and have
your man enter you from behind,
suggests Michelle Waitzman, author
of Sex in a Tent: A
Wild Couple's Guide
to Getting Naughty in
Nature. Have him
hold your legs up and
pull you toward his
hips so the swing
does the work.

Get Bikini Confidence
in a Flash

Yeah, they have kick-ass curves,
but even Victoria's Secret models
need a mood boost to bare all.
Here's supermodel Selita Ebanks'
tactic for feeling hot: "Serena
Williams told me this: In my head, I
say 'I am the bomb dot com!' It lifts
your spirits, and the more you say
it, the more you begin to believe it!"

Look Toned —
Without Exercising

Give yourself a dry-brush massage.
It'll improve lymph drainage,
releasing the fluids that build up and
make you appear to have cellulite,
says Charles Clark, MD, author ofThe GI Bikini Diet. Using a soft
natural-bristle brush, lightly rub
toneable areas in a circular motion
for a minute before showering.

Flavor Your Water

Staying hydrated is mucho important in the heat, but guzzling
gallons of tasteless liquid isn't so, um, tasty. But water doesn't have
to be blah — especially with the bounty of fresh ingredients at your
fingertips. Some yummy things to steep in your H2O: pineapple and
basil, grapefruit and fennel, ginger and lime, or mint and any fruit.

Indulge in 24
Hours of Romance

As the days get longer, the
amount of dopamine in your
brain increases, stimulating
your libido, says Andrew
Goldstein, MD, coauthor ofReclaiming Desire. Make an
all-day date with your man.
Wake up at sunrise, go for
a long morning stroll, have
a spicy lunch, laze around a
pool, grab dinner at an outdoor
table....We'll leave the
rest of the plans up to you.